teaching tips blog

Recordkeeping Revisited

Becky Cooke

One of the less interesting but vital parts of homeschooling high school is recordkeeping. Some of the questions we receive are listed below along with answers.

What records do I need to keep once my teen begins taking high school courses? The high school brochure, A Guide for Homeschooling High School, has a section listing what records are recommended and some commentary about them. You will likely be surprised to find that the list is not very long or arduous.

What system should I use to keep these records? There are two requirements for any record system that you choose. It should be easy and not take much of your time. Some parents still find it easiest to use a hard copy recordkeeping book (a notebook will do) or a set of manila file folders. Others have graduated to using the computer and will set up folders or excel spreadsheets to keep their records (back up the information regularly). There is also recordkeeping software and companies to safeguard your records.

How long should I keep these records? Most of your records and supporting homeschool assignments can be whittled down after high school graduation. The Court Report ran an excellent article a few years ago, “Recordkeeping: Is It Worth the Trouble?” that will answer this question. It gives you helpful guidelines and suggestions to consider.

If you have additional questions to these and are a member of HSLDA, please email (highschool@hslda.org) or give us a call at 540.338.5600.